Right as my plans to spend next July in Canada have taken a slight turn for the worse thanks to price increases due to Britex panic and the world coming to an end, im looking for Earth porn for general holiday mountain /lakes /riding and nice times.

Norway discuss ?

Looks stunning , expensive? and flights arounds £1000 cheaper ,

You’ll be fine as long as you plan on not eating or drinking!

Check what is open- when we went 2 years ago in August Hafjell was only open at weekends. Definitely do an overnight kayak trip from Flam, that was a massive highlight!

You’ll make up that £1000 difference pretty quickly.

Iceland?

Money depends on how frugal you are, it’s not cheap Norway. It is however one of the most amazing places I’ve been to.. it’s like Scotland on steroids. Ive been kayaking before but I’d love to go back biking. Reckon your going to need a decent pair of legs, don’t expect much help uphill like the alps or Canada but it will be fantastic riding.

Being a vegetarian alcoholic will make the cost bearable…. also driving isn’t as mad as it sounds, it’s probably not much cheaper than flying unless you have a couple of others in your car. I heard rumours that the Norwegian ferry was restarting next year?

Both countries are stunning even the cities are nice! However Norway has to be the most expensive place I’ve ever been. Paying up to £13 for a beer! I bought a Come and a Mars bar last year £9! If you’re there for a month your £1k saving won’t last long.

Join DNT and stay in their amazing lodges that range from sheds to houses to manned hostels, most in fantastic mountain locations. Still gutted they stopped the Newcastle ferry, I’d have gone every year for the rest of my life!

Oooh, just seen this after posting last post http://www.startauktonorwayferry.co.uk/http://www.startauktonorwayferry.co.uk/

Whats your budget? Fly to NZ instead

There have been campaigns/proposals/rumours for a new ferry for years. Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like it will happen anytime soon.

I did a wee cycle tour around Norway a few years back, when the ferry was still running. I didn’t think it was too expensive. But I was camping, cooking my own food, and didn’t buy any beer.

When we visit Norway (usually one week trips) we usually reckon on doubling our outgoings from being in Sweden. (Which is broadly similar to most of the midlands/south of the UK as far as generic cost of living goes.)
That allows for the fast that we are usually somewhere slightly touristy and eating/drinking out a bit more (but not much, maybe once/twice a week)

It also allows for the fact that we usually try to take about 100 quids worth of food and enough beer to last the entire trip with us……….

It’ll probably still be cheaper to go to Canada if you are going for a month.

Nice position to be in, i can’t quite tell, but is it more a general holiday with some riding, or a riding holiday with some general holidaying?

I was in Norway for a week in early summer and did a lot of the tourist trail. It is a great place to go and there are so many options for beautiful scenery, lakes, mountains etc. I want to go again and spend more time exploring. As others have said, it is bloody expensive for just normal (ie nothing that special) food. I think a whole month would be really expensive. If I were you i’d spend a week or two in Norway at some amazing places, then head to Slovenia and Croatia and take in some different mountains and coast. Might be a bit too hot but it would be quarter of the cost, but there’s lots to do and see and good riding.

worked in norway a fair bit so have done my share of eating out.

I didnt find eating that expensive.

Drinking massively – so i just didnt do it…..

accomodation was pricy if your in a hotel … like 200euro a night in a fairly boggo holiday in style hotel.

and as for suggesting iceland as an alternative – have you looked at the prices there ?

I love norway.

I’d drive. I did drive. Bikes, camping gear, food and booze in the back of the mondeo, ferry from Harwich to Hook of Holland, drive up through Denmark, ferry to norway, 2 weeks of drivey campy hikey bikey funtimes.

Free camping, swim in fjords, campsites have pay showers if you feel like treating yourself.

I didn’t find eating that expensive.

I thought 450NOK for two pizzas and a couple of Cokes a little eye watering. That was in Hicksville about 150km from Oslo when we went up for a race.

Can do the same in the centre of Göteborg for about 300SEK (270NOK, give or take.)
That’s one reason why we take a load of food in with us!

ive been bummed like that when up in the “wrong” take away in the alps in france to be fair tourist tax perhaps ?

Ive eaten well for slightly above aberdeen prices in stravanger.

Not saying its cheap but its not as horrendous as folk make out ime – but the beer is horrendous without doubt.

TBH, the driving is probably a good idea, theres loads of riding going up the coast of Sweden, not massive altitude, but lots of really nice trails.

Hallandsås, nice trail centre, fairly compact, probably a long days drive from Hook of Holland.
Göteborg trails, maybe 7-800km of riding in total. Centred on the city. Think there was a video on here a few months ago. Thats about 90 mins north of Hallandsås.
Then you’ve got the stuff round Uddevalla, which is my “local” area. Probably a three hundred km of trails from swoopy singletrack to nasty rocky drops and steps (up and down) unfortunately a lot of it isn’t marked or mapped yet (and may never be). Another hour north of GBG.

Then you are only 90 mins from the Norwegian border, and there are a few places with a few bits and pieces that might be worth exploring (foot or bike).

Slovakia, Slovenia or Croatia ?

Norway is never going to be a budget option, it makes holidaying in Switzerland look cheap 😉

I would not be trying to guess the $/£ exchange rate in June 2017 could be back to where it was or the other way.

ive been bummed like that when up in the “wrong” take away in the alps in france to be fair tourist tax perhaps ?

Nah, really not a tourist place at all, just expensive. Only reason we were there was for the race. Wouldn’t even have stopped if not for that!

And from what i’ve seen a lot of the oil towns have a lot more passing trade, and are pretty much full on/busy all year, so might just be cheaper as they can guarantee business.
I’d guess this place might have actually been completely empty 4 or 5 nights a month. Simply no customers around.

And i’ve done the 50 quid round, the first time we went there, 2 beers a glass of wine and a coke……… and that was more than 15 years ago. And in a ski resort.

Come to my neck of the woods in Sweden, right on the Norwegian border

http://m.pinkbike.com/news/reindeer-singletrack-and-waffle-stalls-in-sweden-2016.html

Double post

Norway is never going to be a budget option

Rubbish.

Drive, take your own stuff, camp for free, swim in lakes. You could quite easily only spend money on petrol.

Winter holidays can be cheap too: cheap flights to Tromso, hire car, airbnb. £517 for 10 days. Cooking ourselves, so only fuel and supermarket shopping on top of that.